This Is The Truth About Lefties

Right-handed people make up roughly 90 percent of the population, so it's understandable that lefties might feel left out. Being a lefty comes with its fair share of everyday challenges and benefits. Here's the truth about being left-handed. For years, scientists believed that genetic differences between the left and right sides of the brain determined which was a person's dominant hand. However, a study centered at Germany's Ruhr-University Bochum in 2017 demonstrated that the gene responsible for making people right-handed or left-handed is most likely located in the spinal cord. So, what led to this foundational shift in thinking? The research found that even at the fetal stage, there were what researchers described as, quote, "considerable asymmetries in arm movements before the motor cortex is functionally linked to the spinal cord." This connection between the spinal cord and brain usually happens around 15 weeks gestation, while ultrasound technology has proven that some fetuses may show a preference for using one arm over the other at just eight weeks, well before the brain is connected. Keep watching to learn The Truth About Lefties! #Lefties #LeftHanded Most can thank their spines | 0:15 They're more common among twins | 1:03 Left hand, right brain? | 1:59 Risk for developing a mental disorder | 2:57 Lefties may struggle in school | 4:03 Lefties look at things differently | 4:57 Some lefties have trouble sleeping | 5:54 Lefties may make better athletes | 6:51 An increased risk of breast cancer | 7:54 Risk for developing PTSD | 8:53 Many lefties make less money | 9:58 Lefties and alcoholism | 10:55 Recovering from stroke | 11:51